Monday, November 30, 2009

Turtle Tart

This was my contribution to our Thanksgiving Feast. I based it on a recipe from Bon Appetit.
If you love turtles (chocolate, not reptiles) then this is for you.

It's a little bit tricky for a novice, but if you follow the recipe closely, you should do fine. Make sure you read and understand the instructions before starting because there are a couple of steps that are a little time sensitive.

One technique that may be new to you is making the pastry in a food processor. Making amazingly easy pastry is one of the main reasons I got a Cuisinart. If you've never done it before, you'll be amazed at how simple it is.
Flaky pastry requires two things:
1. You must not overwork the dough (especially once you add water) because the gluten in the flour will make the dough chewy.
2. The dough must stay cold so the butter (or other fat) remains firm. Little bits of butter melting during the baking are what make pastry flaky and wonderful.
Using a food processor makes it easier to comply with those two requirements. It's so fast, that it's hard to overwork it, and it doesn't have time to warm up.

The second skill that you may likely not have done before is making caramel.
Just watch it closely so it doesn't burn. When you're boiling the sugar, let it turn to an amber color before adding the cream and butter. Add the cream carefully, because it will be EXTREMELY hot.

Here is the recipe.

I used pecans instead of macadamias and sprinkled a little fleur de sel because I like a little extra salt with my caramel.

Enjoy!

5 comments:

Joan said...

I have to try this! I am big turtle fan...anything caramel and chocolate will do me good!
Have you seen my pies (you can see them on the blog)?! You'd be proud, Tay. They were my very first pies. Entirely home-made and took me about four hours (excluding baking time). They were time consuming but SO worth it (aesthetic and palate appeal were 9/10 I'd say!)
Thanks for sharing your passion for food and culinary craft with us :)

Lorraine said...

Dear Feed Your Family,

I know you are on hiatus from the blog. But every time I make those whipped cream brownie numbers or some home made chicken noodle soup, I think to myself, "MAN, if only Taylor had more recipes to share." I'm not very good at blogging myself, so

NO PRESSURE.
Sincerely,
Lorraine, one of your greatest fans.

Or maybe make a cookbook of your own? I'D BUY IT!!!

Kirstin said...

I second Lorraine! More posts please. Or cookbook.

EPatterson26 said...

Hi!

I recently came across your blog and wanted to take a moment of your time to discuss an issue I think all adults value, our childhood education. I have written a few articles on childhood education, and one I think you would specifically be interested in- cooking with children! That being said, I was wondering if you would like to read it and hopefully post it on your blog? It is purely educational, not promotional for Primrose. Let me know what you think and I can send it along if you'd like. I am also interested in any advertising options you may have available. Thank you in advance for your time!

I look forward to hearing from you,

Warm regards,
Emily Patterson
Communications Coordinator
Primrose Schools
epatterson@primroseschools.com

unknown said...

Your tips and methods are good. This is yummy. I also like turtle chocolate candy